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NME Festival blog: James McAvoy joins cast of ‘His Dark Materials’

The BBC’s forthcoming adaptation of Philip Pullman’s much-loved trilogy of books will start filming later this month

James McAvoy is among the new names to have been added to the cast of the BBC’s upcoming adaptation of His Dark Materials.

The corporation’s take on Philip Pullman’s best-selling trilogy of books has been in the works for some time, with plans for the TV adaptation first announced all the way back in 2015.

Progress on the series appears to now be moving steadily along, with McAvoy and The Wire star Clarke Peters signing up to star in His Dark Materials. Deadline reports that the pair will join the project as filming gets underway later this month.

The series will run for eight parts, with McAvoy set to play Lord Asriel – who was played by Daniel Craig in the 2007 film adaptation, The Golden Compass. Peters will play the Master who raises Lyra (Dafne Keen), the daughter of Lord Asriel. Lin-Manuel Miranda has also been confirmed as a castmember, with the Hamilton creator playing Lee Scoresby.